Friday, 29 July 2016

After looking through all the Google posts that were shared to various subscriptions recently, these are a selection that look useful for teachers. All the previous posts in this series can be accessed on this link http://bit.ly/1VEJp3r: (Google links)

Thursday, 28 July 2016

We are pleased to announce that the new season of short
SchoolNet webinars will be starting next week! We will be using Google Hangouts
for these webinars. They will be taking place on Thursday afternoons at 3:30
pm. Here are the details of the two webinars planned for August 2016. Both are
presented by South African teachers. Please join us if you can. (If you would
like to present a short webinar on a topic of interest to teachers, please let
fiona@schoolnet.org.za know!)

How to integrate Augmented Reality successfully in your
classroom
Are you wondering what Augmented Reality is all about? "Augmented Reality (AR)allows
teachers and students to extend the physical world with a virtual overlay.
Whether you have iPad, Android, or a smartphone, scanning a trigger in the
physical world with an AR app allows a new layer of information to appear. This
information could be a link to a web site, a video, an audio recording, or even
a 3D model.." Quoted from EdTechTeacher: http://goo.gl/nP1Wi3. We invite you to
join this 15 - 30 minute minute webinar to find out how to use this technology
in your classroom.

To join the meeting: Visit the event page created for this
webinar at:https://goo.gl/1vEOR4 on
the day of the webinar and click on the visible webinar link once there.

The next webinar on 25th August

Our second webinar of the season will be presented by Keshma
Patel, Grade 6 teacher at Micklefield Primary in Cape Town on 25th August at
3:30pm. The topic is 'Exploring with Google Tours'. One of the things
Keshma will be demonstrating is how to re-create a Vasco da Gama or Bartholomew
Dias journey using Google Tours. There will be more information about this
webinar in a later blog post.

Friday, 22 July 2016

After looking through all the Google posts that were shared to various subscriptions recently, these are a selection that look useful for teachers. All the previous posts in this series can be accessed on this link http://bit.ly/1VEJp3r: (Google links)

Wednesday, 20 July 2016

This is a guest post from 2Enable.org. "When we looked into teaching methods, the research absolutely upended our preconceptions. It basically showed that kids in rural spaces were hungry to learn and use technology. Chances were slim that equipment would be stolen, vandalised or misused - they were desperate to use what they were provided with in order to improve themselves." says 2Enable Founder, Michael Matthews.

2Enable.Org has just launched free live IPTV lessons
using Skype Broadcast! Initially we are broadcasting Grade 10 to 12 Maths and
Science lessons by Ms Candace Rennie, the former Head of Science at Rosebank
Progress College. These lessons take place in the afternoons, Monday to Friday
until November 2016.

How to enrol

Learners are encouraged to register at no cost on www.2enable.org and enrol in the applicable subjects. Once enrolled, the link to the live
lessons will show on their personalised calendar. A simple click on the
calendar and a click on the broadcast will see them receiving a valuable 45
minute lesson.

Lessons published daily on social media

Alternatively, learners or teachers can keep an eye on
our social media platforms, where details on the lessons will be published
daily. A click on the link will take them directly to the broadcast with no
need for a 2Enable profile or a Skype account.

Missed lessons

Missed the lesson? No problem. By following the same
methods, learners are able to view a recording of the particular lesson.

About 2 Enable.Org

2EnableOrg is a web-based application targeting education and NPO's in SA to help the sector and students achieve excellence for free. We deliver educational content using digital learning centres or any internet connected computer or computer network.

School in the Cloud

2Enable is
an online educational platform developed by Casterbridge
Music Development Academy (CMDA), a registered non-profit
organisation. Our School in the Cloud,
which is currently being populated with content and assessments, is designed to
provide FREE academic and other meaningful educational content for the benefit
of all South Africans using a variety of resources specifically aggregated for
the platform.

All curriculum aligned content is arranged in weekly modules with
an online assessment at the end of each module. Currently mathematics and
English first additional language grade 1 to 12 and physical science from grade
10 to 12 are loaded on the site. Natural science grades 9 and 10 and life
science grades 10 to 12 are currently being added. Music theory, recorder,
violin and guitar videos are already available to learners.

Tuesday, 19 July 2016

The Internet is currently full of posts about using Microsoft products effectively in the classroom. Here are a number of them from this past week: Alll the link to the previous Microsoft in Education posts can be found at this link: http://bit.ly/1GVLTUZ

Monday, 18 July 2016

In the first part in this two-part report-back on Eduweek entitled 'EduWeek16: a report back from Janet Thomson of SchoolNet - part 1' Janet gave an overview of Eduweek 2016. In Part 2 belowSchoolNet talks specifically about the Gaming in Education panel discussion at Eduweek 2016 where Janet Thomson was one of the panelists.

SchoolNet’s involvement in EduWeek in 2016 was due to the D G Murray Trust and our Learning Gains through Play project that precipitated an invitation from Intel to participate in a panel discussion on Gaming in Education. The objective of this Intel presentation was to

unpack as many diverse aspects of Gaming in Education in the short window that a panel discussion allows. The panel therefore included gaming experts from varied fields; Koos de Beer, Junior Lecturer, University of Pretoria, Andreas Cent Hadjipaschali, Director & CEO, Bravado Gaming (PTY) LTD, South Africa, Janet Thomson, Executive Director, SchoolNet South Africa, and Hitendra Hits Naik from Intel Corporation, South Africa. The discussion was facilitated by Ryan Macquet from Intel. Ryan started off by setting the scene around Intel’s involvement in education and then introduced the wider topic of gaming. He asked Koos to clarify the terminology by distinguishing between gamification, game-based learning, gameful design and serious games. Part of Koos’s explanation can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/yzzbfHAzduM Ryan then asked Janet to outline the benefits of using gaming in the classroom which she did by describing the research that is being undertaken in the Learning Gains through Play project. Her reply can be viewed here https://youtu.be/gTSVpae2aP8 Janet mentioned that Microsoft had released
their education edition of Minecraft and that it was downloadable for free to
educators for three months from this link http://education.minecraft.net/

Koos then discussed
his unique use of Minecraft with his university students studying BSc.
Multimedia where they can earn rewards such as bonus marks and assignment
extensions by completing challenges that he poses. However, the main purpose of requiring
students to undertake challenges in Minecraft was for the purpose of developing
a shared gaming vocabulary with his students once they have all played the same
game. He highlighted the features of
Minecraft Education Edition that provides teachers will the tools to create
goals and set challenges for their learners.

Ryan introduced Andreas ‘Cent’
Hadjipaschali and asked how he had managed to grow his company, Bravado Gaming, into the
premier e-sports organisation in South Africa at age 29. Andreas’s response and interaction with Ryan
is available here https://youtu.be/FOF4GcPb-Mw
He provided the facts around just how
big e-sports has become including it now being on DSTV Super Sport. The panel discussion was concluded by Hitendra
Naik, the Director of Innovation for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa at
Intel who shared instances of gamification as applied in other industries and
made special mention of Intel’s commitment to gender equity with My
Digital Journey App for girls in Kenya and Intel’s She Will Connect initiative.

There
was time for questions from the audience.
The first question concerned game designers and their chances of
employment in the South Africa of the future. Koos gave a comprehensive
response which can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/T4uHyvGODRM. The second
question concerned the likelihood of gaming becoming a regular feature of the South
African classroom. Janet responded that
SchoolNet’s experience had not been encouraging because it had taken 4 years
since their first Xbox project before finding an education sponsor willing to
invest in gaming. However she was
expecting that the very positive results from the current research into
Learning Gains through Play would be sufficiently encouraging for education
decision makers to sit up and take notice. Response available here https://youtu.be/0SM4P9RH-PE

A press round table discussion
followed the presentation and a number of news reports have been published
already. So it seems that the panel
discussion raised a good deal of interest around the role of gaming:

Friday, 15 July 2016

After looking through all the Google posts that were shared to various subscriptions recently, these are a selection that look useful for teachers. All the previous posts in this series can be accessed on this link http://bit.ly/1VEJp3r: (Google links)

Tuesday, 12 July 2016

The Internet is currently full of posts about using Microsoft products effectively in the classroom. Here are a number of them from this past week: Alll the link to the previous Microsoft in Education posts can be found at this link: http://bit.ly/1GVLTUZ

Monday, 11 July 2016

This is the first of a two part series reporting back on the recent Eduweek16 in Johannesburg.
This year #EduWeek16 partnered with the SABC, the headline sponsor being Intel. Other major sponsors were Microsoft, Pearson and Dell. Educational exhibitors were there in large numbers (120). The conference theme was “Education for Sustainable Development” and the choice of parallel sessions was greater than in previous years. There were five choices of conference threads which included Early Childhood Development, Vocational and Higher Education, Inclusive Education, general basic education and Educational Technology.

This year #EduWeek16 partnered with the SABC, the headline sponsor being Intel. Other major sponsors were Microsoft, Pearson and Dell. Educational exhibitors were there in large numbers (120). The conference theme was “Education for Sustainable Development” and the choice of parallel sessions was greater than in previous years. There were five choices of conference threads which included Early Childhood Development, Vocational and Higher Education, Inclusive Education, general basic education and Educational Technology

The Opening Plenary was well attended as can be seen from this photo above. Brian Gonzales from Intel, Jaye Richards-Hill from Microsoft and Maurice de Hond from Steve Jobs Schools (Netherlands) all preceded the closing remarks given by National Minister Motshekga. All the speakers were engaging but Maurice de Hond captured the imagination of the audience when he explained the reason he had opened his first school in the Netherlands. He had been compelled by the fact that his 7 year old daughter was about to attend the same school as his 30-something sons and the school had not changed in the least in those intervening two decades. He said if Bill Gates had died around the same time he might have named his school after him. He announced that he had just opened two Steve Jobs schools in Gauteng. This year, Steve Jobs Schools have been named Most Innovative Schools in the world by Tech-Insider Magazine. Maurice de Hond and Minister Motshekga are pictured here http://stevejobsschool.world/4221-2/ on the Steve Jobs schools website.

Next up in the E-Tech theatre was a panel discussion, chaired by Angela Schaerer of Microsoft entitled, “Rock, Paper, Tablets – will technology save our schools?”

The speakers were: Riaan van der Bergh. Deputy Provincial Manager,
FEDSAS; Brian Wafawarowa, Executive Director, Learning Services, Pearson South
Africa; Jaye Richards-Hill, Teacher Engagement Manager, Microsoft South Africa;
Dr. Sabine Huber, Worldwide Education Specialist, Intel Education, Intel
Corporation and Elias Chipimo, Commercial Director, Mwabu.The speakers came from a wide range of
countries and backgrounds but were all very much on the same page and in favour
of the effective use of technology in classrooms.One question from the floor was quite
difficult for panel members to answer, “Save our schools from what?”

Due to SchoolNet’s involvement
with the D G Murray Trust project, Learning Gains through Play (LGP), we found
ourselves drawn to the new EduWeek conference thread, Early Childhood
Development. One of the presentations
that aligned closely with the LGP project was a presentation by Norman Mphake
from the Physical Education Institute of South Africa, entitled, “Head,
Shoulders, Knees and Toes”. Norman explained how important it is for
children to have early positive experiences of physical activity. Another of his main points was the relevance
of motor development to cognitive development in ECD, which is one of the focal
points of our Learning Gains Research when using Xbox Kinect games. Details of
other presentations are available from the EduWeek
2016 website

The Awards Dinner was a glamorous affair, magnificently hosted by Hlubi Mboya, pictured below. A wonderful surprise was the Lifetime Achievement Award being won by Phuti Ragophala, Principal of Pula Madibogo Primary in Limpopo. Phuti magnanimously thanked SchoolNet South Africa, Coza Cares and Microsoft for all the support she had received during her digital journey.

Other awards winners were:
Brain Booster for Early Childhood Development as well as for the Innovation product award, Edit Micro Systems for Special Needs Education, The Reach Trust for the NGO award and Siyafunda Community Technology Centres for the Community Award. The Institution leader of the Year award went to Sehoole Moses Sello, Principal of Mankuroane Technical and Commercial Secondary who also won the Educator who Cares award and the Teacher of Tomorrow was awarded to Lindsay Wesner, ICT integrator and Subject Head of Life Orientation at Parklands College in Cape Town."

This post will be followed by Part 2 where Janet Thomson talks specifically about the Gaming in Education panel discussion at Eduweek 2016.

Friday, 8 July 2016

After looking through all the Google posts that were shared to various subscriptions recently, these are a selection that look useful for teachers. All the previous posts in this series can be accessed on this link http://bit.ly/1VEJp3r: (Google links)

Thursday, 7 July 2016

The Programming Olympiad is around the corner and your learners will be able to test their programming skills in any language that your school allows. The aim of the Olympiad is to identify, encourage and reward computer aptitude, promote and encourage computer studies and create an awareness of career opportunities in ICT.When is it?
The First Round of the Programming Olympiad will be open for participation from Monday 1 to Friday 5 August. Participants can take part for an hour at any time during that week. Learners may use any language allowed by the school including languages such as Scratch and Alice. These are introductory languages for Grade 10, but are also popular among Primary School leaners.

Certificates
At least half the participants nationwide will receive certificates to recognise their achievements. Certificates will be awarded at three grade levels:

Grade 10 and below

Grade 11

Grade 12 and above

In each age group certificates will be awarded as follows:

Gold: the top 7% of participants nationwide

Silver: the next 14%

Bronze: the next 29%

How do you register?
Learners register through their schools. Schools have a choice of Online or Offline. Peter Waker, Manager of the South African Computer Olympiad Trust explains: “Some of the younger participants have problems using the computer to write programs and at the same time using the screen to read the question. These schools may therefore enter for both Offline and Online so that learners can have a printed question paper to work from.”

The questions are available in English and Afrikaans.

Schools can enter online at http://www.olympiad.org.za/register-programming-olympiad/ or request an entry form by calling 021-448-7864. Participation in the Programming Olympiad is free.
For further information go to www.olympiad.org.za or contact info@olympiad.org.za or contact 021-448-7864.

Tuesday, 5 July 2016

The Internet is currently full of posts about using Microsoft products effectively in the classroom. Here are a number of them from this past week: Alll the link to the previous Microsoft in Education posts can be found at this link: http://bit.ly/1GVLTUZ

Monday, 4 July 2016

This is a guest post from Veronica Johnson about a free PDF to Word online converter tool that looks very useful to use

Holidays have started. Now is the right time for you as a
teacher to enjoy your vacation and not think about work. However, as much as we
would all love a year-long vacation, that’s simply not possible. Unfortunately,
this one, like many before it, will pass by before you even realize it began.
What often happens is that just when you fully start to relax, the holidays are over and the only thing you have left is the hope you charged your batteries
for the new school year.

If this scenario sounds familiar, don’t panic. To make sure
you have some peace of mind while vacationing, you should plan ahead and think
about how to start the next term prepared. That basically means
organizing unfinished paperwork before it becomes a nightmare. So, what to do
with all those papers that you left to pile up at home or your work desk
(documents, school materials, tests and exams)? Well, you can easily repurpose
most of them to save time when the new term starts. In the majority of
cases those documents come in two forms: printed or scanned and stored in PDF.
Whatever the case may be, there is simply not enough time in the world to
manually transcribe each document. And that’s the last thing you’d want to do
during a vacation. So, what do you in similar situations when you have the
documents, but no way to edit them without retyping them word for word?

PDF OCR service

Luckily for you, there are some free tools that can help.
One of them is Investintech’s online PDF
OCR service that lets you convert your scanned and native PDFs to
completely editable Word files. That way you can be confident when digitizing
your documents that your important work will remain on your computer and not on
your desk. And you can change and edit the files when you find it convenient.

The tool is located on the left side of the page and is
extremely simple to use:

Step 1.

Select a PDF file from your computer that you would
like to convert.

Step 2. Type the email address to which you would like to
receive your converted file.

Step 3.Simply press the Start button and you are done. Soon
enough, you will receive an email with a link to your converted file.

Benefits of using this tool

What is left to mention is that the tool is completely free,
with no limitations to the file size or the number of conversions. It is
completely web based, so there is no need to install anything on your computer.
Also, it keeps your converted file as close as possible to the original
document.

With this tool, you will be ready for your classes and the
next school term. To be honest, you will be so prepared that your students will
wonder whether you’ve actually been on vacation. But only you and you little
online helper will know the answer. Have a great vacation!

Friday, 1 July 2016

After looking through all the Google posts that were shared to various subscriptions recently, these are a selection that look useful for teachers. All the previous posts in this series can be accessed on this link http://bit.ly/1VEJp3r: (Google links)

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG!

This blog is aimed at South African teachers who are using digital learning for lifelong professional growth. We aim to provide ideas, resources, information and inspiration for integrating technology into your lessons to enhance teaching and learning.

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Blog posts are created by the SchoolNet SA team - with occasional guest posts from SchoolNet SA members. Please contact info(at)schoolnet.org.za for more information.